WHENEVER you use a tool for cutting, a sharp, well-maintained blade makes the task easier. If you make sharpening part of your routine, then far less effort is needed as you work.
Gardening tends to involve a multitude of cutting tools, ranging from knives to mower blades, so it is inevitable that there should be a wide range of sharpening tools available to cope with the different blade shapes and sizes.
‘Whetting’
The process of sharpening used to be called ‘whetting’, so any stone used for sharpening became referred to as a ‘whetstone’. Over time, this changed to become known as a ‘sharpening stone’, although both terms are still used.
On occasion, the word is misspelt as ‘wetstone’, giving the mistaken impression that the stone must be damp when used and this can cause further confusion because some specialised stones are indeed lubricated with
